The Home of Australian Craft Beer

Meet The Beeries

July 31st, 2017, by Will Ziebell

Meet The Beeries

July 31st, 2017, by Will Ziebell

You might think bringing you news of two beer awards in 24 hours would be enough for one week. But, hot on the heels of the results from the 2017 Craft Beer Awards and the Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards, we've news of another forthcoming awards night – albeit one with a difference.

While most beer awards are focused on judging beers and awarding medals and trophies for the best and to those that brew them, there's a wider beer community out there too. And that's what The Beeries in Brisbane is designed to showcase.

On September 21, Brisbane’s beer and cider community will come together for an awards night set to shine a spotlight on the people who make drinking beer and cider in Brisbane what it is. Categories like Best Beer Tender, Best Beer & Cider Rep and Best Beer & Cider Retailer offer the drinking public the chance to vote for some of the unsung heroes of the industry, selecting from a shortlist compiled by key figures in the local industry.

One of the key figuress behind The Beeries is Marty Keetels. He's is the founder of Brisbane’s Beer InCider Experience, which takes place on the two days following The Beeries.

Marty says the idea behind the awards developed out of the desire to get the beer and cider industry into a room to celebrate together.

“We’ve all got jobs either behind bars, running bars, delivering beer, organising events and it never really happens that we have the opportunity as a community or industry to get in the same room,” says Marty.

When Marty first floated the idea he received a lot of feedback from people within the industry who said any new awards night should focus on individuals.

“I just thought that was a really nice point of difference,” he says. “That the brand is actually secondary to what the person is actually bringing to the community.”

Most coveted among the awards will be the Gold Beery for best overall community contributor. Nominated this year for the top gong are Gillian Letham (The Mill, Oxford Tap House, Brewsvegas and more), Jim Gold (Newstead Brewing and Blood, Sweat & Craft Beers) and Newstead Brewing co-founder Mark Howes.

“For me, that award sets the tone of the night and the awards,” he says. “We really want to recognise people that have gone above and beyond in ways that aren’t linked to brand awareness or commercial decision making.”

As if recognising the people who make up Brisbane’s craft beer community wasn’t enough, all money raised by The Beeries will go directly to either Brewsvegas or the Red Rose Foundation.

Red Rose Foundation was founded to try to stop deaths caused by domestic violence and Marty says the decision was made early on by the advisory panel to support a cause which clearly needs a lot more attention – and money.

“We just thought that domestic violence is a such a not-spoken about issue within the community and there’s a link with alcohol and domestic violence and rather than hide from that link we thought we’d just call it out,” says Marty.

The rest of The Money raised by the night will go towards help run Brewsvegas. The ten-day festival has become a fixture in Brisbane’s craft beer calendar and its not-for-profit status made it a clear choice for where the rest of the money raised by The Beeries should go.

“Brewsvegas has done so much for beer in South East Queensland and beer in Queensland generally,” he says.

“So, when we were thinking about what causes we could put the money to, we just thought that if we could help make the festival more sustainable for the long term and keep it independent then it would be an awesome way we could help out.”

About Will

Will Ziebell is a history graduate who knows more about The Wire than he does about beer. He was awarded the AIBA Best Media trophy for 2018; HBO is yet to award him anything. He can be found on Instagram and Twitter. Instagram and Twitter

The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:

Spending time living in the UK (and backpacking across Europe) when I was 21 certainly gave me a better understanding of the beer and different styles of the world. But I'd say it was a holiday to the High Country a little while later when lunch and a tasting paddle at Bridge Road Brewers created an obsession with Australian breweries and locally made beer.

You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?

Boatrocker's Miss Pinky: It's a raspberry-packed Berliner Weisse that neither looks or tastes the way many people conceive of beer.

Bad Shepherd Hazelnut Brown: A luscious mix of chocolate and hazelnut that can appeal to the sweet tooth within us all.

Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: As the father of my oldest friend once said to me: "It's the perfect refreshing pint that smells like they've loaded it with the God's herb."

The last beer you enjoyed:

Garage Project's DFA while sitting at the bar at Miss Moses as the sounds of The Rolling Stone drifting in the background.

The Beeries take place on September 21. To find out more or to vote, head to the full list of nominees here.

About Will

Will Ziebell is a history graduate who knows more about The Wire than he does about beer. He was awarded the AIBA Best Media trophy for 2018; HBO is yet to award him anything. He can be found on Instagram and Twitter. Instagram and Twitter

The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:

Spending time living in the UK (and backpacking across Europe) when I was 21 certainly gave me a better understanding of the beer and different styles of the world. But I'd say it was a holiday to the High Country a little while later when lunch and a tasting paddle at Bridge Road Brewers created an obsession with Australian breweries and locally made beer.

You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?

Boatrocker's Miss Pinky: It's a raspberry-packed Berliner Weisse that neither looks or tastes the way many people conceive of beer.

Bad Shepherd Hazelnut Brown: A luscious mix of chocolate and hazelnut that can appeal to the sweet tooth within us all.

Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: As the father of my oldest friend once said to me: "It's the perfect refreshing pint that smells like they've loaded it with the God's herb."

The last beer you enjoyed:

Garage Project's DFA while sitting at the bar at Miss Moses as the sounds of The Rolling Stone drifting in the background.

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We catch up with Brisbane man about town Gavin Croft as he prepares to launch his first beers under the Croft Brewing banner. It comes after years working in and around the beer industry and sees him launch with the pink and fruity Saison Grenade.
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The Crafty Pint is an independent online magazine and resource for anyone interested in craft beer in Australia. We bring an honest, old-fashioned journalistic approach to beer's brave new world, telling stories because they're worth telling not because someone is paying us to write them.

Like many of the people who have changed the face of beer in Australia, we believe in authenticity, integrity, enjoyment and love. We hope to play a role in helping good beer, brewed by good people, find its way into the hands of more drinkers.